B.C.’s real estate regulator has issued $140,000 worth of fines against two unlicensed rental property managers.
The B.C. Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) said Jan. 10 Glenn Richard Campbell is to pay a $100,000 discipline penalty and $25,805.26 in enforcement expenses for his misconduct while Kirsten Marie Scoffield is to pay a $40,000 discipline penalty and $13,107.59 in enforcement expenses.
The decision follows public complaints dating as far back as 2013.
In separate panel decisions, both Campbell and Scoffield were found to have managed properties without a licence and without being exempt from licensing requirements under the Real Estate Services Act.
“Unlicensed activity puts the public at considerable risk and BCFSA considers these incidents to be serious,” said Jonathan Vandall, vice-president of compliance and enforcement at BCFSA.
“The penalties issued against Campbell and Scoffield demonstrate that BCFSA does not tolerate actions that undermine the integrity of the real estate industry in B.C., show a disregard for the regulatory regime, or put B.C. real estate consumers at risk.”
Campbell “likely” received more than $80,000 for providing rental property management services from at least 2013 to 2022 whereas the authority said it does not know how much Scoffield earned doing the same between 2012 and 2017. The separate decisions shows Scoffield managed three properties in Vancouver whereas Campbell managed 17 in Surrey, Langley and White Rock.
Campbell admitted to the misconduct but was uncooperative, whereas Scoffield lied to investigators, the decisions noted.
“Both Campbell and Scoffield withheld or concealed information required for BCFSA’s investigation. Campbell failed to respond to an information request in 2020 related to the investigation into his unlicensed activity, while Scoffield stated to BCFSA that she had not provided rental property management services, when that statement was not true,” the authority stated.
According to the decision, Scoffield was the subject of complaints dating back to 2013 while working under Artistic Prime Management. BCFSA began its investigation into the respondent after receiving a complaint in 2016.
The decision suggests the former Real Estate Council of B.C. let the complaint slide: “[Complainant 1] noted that he had contacted the former Real Estate Council of British Columbia (RECBC), which had confirmed that the respondent and Artistic Prime Management were not licensed under RESA, but that RECBC had informed him that as the respondent was not licensed, there was nothing they could do.”
In June 2016, the B.C. government ended industry self-regulation by the council and in August 2021 the BCFSA became the single regulator of real estate matters, absorbing the B.C. Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate.
